The Nun II story: The demon continues to assume the form of a Nun, makes Maurice its vessel, and moves from Romania to France, killing priests and nuns. Sister Irene and Sister Debra must stop the evil force. Will they succeed, and what does Valak seek this time?
The Nun II review: The movie opens in France’s Tarascon in 1956, four years after the Romanian chapter, where Valak or the Nun (Bonnie Aarons) strikes again and burns a priest to death. The Vatican again summons Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate and stop the evil force claiming other priests and nuns. The Nun continues to possess Maurice, aka Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) and is after a Christian relic, which takes them to a boarding school in France.
As Sister Irene sets out to find out more about what the demon is after and stop it, Sister Debra (Storm Reid) accompanies her while learning lessons about miracles and faith.A follow-up to The Nun (2018), Michael Chaves’s directorial venture is replete with horror tropes, including a football rolling out of a dark room on its own, footsteps in the dead of night, ghostly visions, and so on. Akela Cooper’s story is also one-dimensional, as with the first outing and many movies in the Conjuring universe.
This time, however, Chaves serves many well-directed sequences that will keep you on the edge of your seat, albeit not quite spend shivers down your spine. For instance, Sister Irene goes after a young boy who witnessed the priest burning and reaches a dark alleyway where pages of magazines on a stand mysteriously and furiously flip, eventually creating a frightening image.The narrative takes a while to build up and spends much time on the characters and their stories.
The relevance of the Christian relic, its back story, and how it relates to Sister Irene feel underdeveloped. Although created and directed well, the mystery’s resolution and events that follow feel a tad rushed compared to the build-up.Taissa Farmiga plays her part well, but after the first part, one would have liked to see more depth in her character. However, one knows more about her and family in this one. Jonas Bloquet is likable, and the character arc from the previous instalment is evident.
As the titular character, Bonnie Aarons is not as menacing and scary as one would have liked. One scene that stands out is her run-in with Maurice’s young friend Sophie (Katelyn Rose Downey) at the boarding school.The Nun II is atmospheric but shows its brilliance only occasionally.
The Conjuring universe’s tapestry demands a lot more. However, the low fright factor, an uneven pace of the narrative, and the multiple horror cliches prevent the movie from reaching its potential. The second part somewhat redeems The Nun, but it still falls short of expectations overall.
